Kenny was born on March 29th, 1944 in Green City to his parents, John and Helen (Jepson) Santee. On May 16th, 1981, Kenny married Roberta (Thompson) Santee who survives, also surviving are two children: Michael (Ramona) Santee of Green City, Michelle (Shelby) Vandevender of Trenton, and a daughter at heart, April Martin of Hallsville, Mo. Three grandchildren: Kenton (Jessica) Santee, Brennon (Sam) Vandevender, and Jordan (Ashley) Santee. Great Grandchildren: Kaislee, Harlo, Cali, Kendrick, with another set of twins on the way. A sister, Carolyn Trueper of Hilton Head South Carolina, two sisters-in-law, Marjorie DeGreef and Mary (Tandy) Murphy, and several nieces and nephews. Kenny was welcomed home by his parents and Brother Gary Santee.
Kenny was born and raised in Green City, graduating from Green City High School in 1962. Kenny started his career as a meat cutter in Green City while he was still in high school and continued his craft until retirement in 2006. Kenny served on past and present boards in the community including, the North Central Missouri Water Commission, Rural Fire Department, Treasurer for the Class of 1962, and The Hannah Cemetery Board. He looked forward to his annual outing to decorate all the family graves with Aunt Gerry and would top off the day’s end with a stop at McDonald’s for ice cream.
Kenny was a hard-working perfectionist with the sharpest knives in the town. When it comes to meat cutting, he was the best in the business, always coming home after a hard day’s work to profess how many pounds of meat he cut & how many packages he wrapped. He was a walking calculator and could price compare a can of corn, and every other item in the store, for the best buy in town. He was a hard worker in his time away from the 9-5 grind, with a work ethic like none other. He loved cutting wood while torturing the rest of the family in the process –allowing only short “nutty bar” breaks.
After his retirement in 2006, he became a homebody who preferred recliner naps with his puppies but would strap roller skates on his butt for a road trip to dine on a “mooing” prime rib. He loved ballgames-Cards, Tigers, Chiefs. He may, or may not, have been watching 75% of the game through the back of his eyelids, but you can bet he was razzing his KU and Razorback rivals. One of his proudest $1 bills was won from a MU win over KU. He framed and proudly displayed that $1 bill which has now become a fun joke and topic at family gatherings.
Kenny was a man of his word with a strong work ethic which few could compare. He enjoyed being outside, cutting wood, and word find puzzles, but most of all he loved spending time with his children and grandchildren and never missed a ballgame. Anyone that knew Kenny, knew his most pride and joy was his twin great-grandchildren and his puppies Marhle and Klohe. He would tell anyone who would listen how much he adored them.
A graveside service for Kenny will be held at 1:00 PM, Wednesday, April 26th, 2023, at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Green City, Mo. A visitation will be held Tuesday evening from 5:00 to 7:00 PM at Ruschmeier-Smith Funeral Home in Green City.
